A journal of my journey through Tokyo's various eateries

Crab shabu-shabu at SERYNA

This place is really old school. Its been around for years and I’ve been frequenting this restaurants since my first visit to Tokyo about 8 years ago. The interior of Seryna is rather old-fashioned but I always frequent a place for its food, not its decor.

Their speciality is the kani or crab shabu-shabu. I have yet to find a place that serves such delicious crab in Tokyo. You dip the crab into the hot-pot, wait until it floats and then dip into the sauces they provide for you. As in other shabu-shabu places, they serve you two sauces : the sesame and the ponzu sauce. I always ask for their spicy sauce which consists of chili oil mixed with sesame. I feel it goes really well with the crab. The vegetables and small portion of noodles come afterwards. Also try their garlic fried rice, absolutely heavenly.

The spicy sauce

Seryna also has a beef shabu-shabu course which is delicious as well. However, on your first visit I suggest you go for the kani shabu-shabu. Beef shabu-shabu you can find anywhere in Tokyo, kani shabu-shabu not as much.

Don’t forget to try their plum wine or umeshu, I believe it is the best in town.

Umeshu

The price of all these deliciousness of course doesn’t come cheap. However, their lunch prices are much more reasonable. You can get the same set for a much cheaper price.

They also have two outlets in Tokyo, one in Ginza at the Tiffany building and one in Roppongi. The Ginza outlet has a slightly different menu but the crab shabu-shabu is the same.